Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Chancellor: Largest first-year class

You may notice traffic is heavier. Lines may be a bit longer at gas stations and restaurants. School is starting, and we’re excited.

First-year students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point move in to residence halls Saturday. I’ll be helping some of our newest Pointers move their belongings into their homes away from home. So will other University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point administrators and scores of our Residential Living staff. Our returning students move in to the residence halls Sunday.

Parents, grandparents and siblings will be saying goodbye to their college-bound student, perhaps for the first time. This is a time of adjustment for them, too. Starting college touches the entire family.

We’re thrilled to welcome our largest-ever first-year class. We are expecting 1,800 first-year students, a record in our 121-year history.

More than 9,200 students will be enrolled this fall at UW-Stevens Point. Of those:

•Nearly 90 percent of our students are from Wisconsin. Others come from 37 states and 34 countries. The largest numbers of out-of-state students are from, in order, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Washington, D.C., Maryland and California.

•49 percent are the first generation to attend college.

•86 percent receive financial aid.

•13 percent are students of U.S. and international diversity.

•Nearly 3,100 of our students are employed on campus.

This is an exciting time for the community as well. There’s more energy, more activity — from arts to athletics to lectures — and more cultural diversity, all of which enrich the community, making it more vibrant.

Many of our students are employed off campus, often with more than one job. Local businesses and nonprofit organizations provide opportunities for students to learn, grow, get involved in the community, and help pay for college. The influx of students enhances the job pool, both for temporary, part-time workers while students are attending college and when they seek full-time employment after graduating.

The next time you are served by someone at a local restaurant or store, ask whether he or she is a student and about their hometown. You may be surprised by the lively conversation.

An economic impact study completed earlier this year showed UW-Stevens Point provides $420.2 million in economic benefits to the region annually. Hotels, restaurants, retailers and many other businesses benefit directly or indirectly from spending by students, faculty, staff and campus visitors. We’re about the greet 9,200 reasons why this is true.

If you are near campus Monday, Aug. 31, you may notice the iconic cupola atop Old Main bathed in a purple glow. Our third Convocation ceremony will be held that day.

Convocation introduces our new students to university life. They will have new and different expectations and realities than they did in high school. They will be encouraged to embrace new responsibilities and grow in ways most of them cannot yet imagine. They will be challenged to discover, to engage in the learning community and to use their education to serve in making the world a better place.

UW-Stevens Point faculty and staff will be present, too, in a show of support that declares we’re ready to help them every step along the way of their educational journey.

Thank you for partnering with us as we welcome our new and returning students to campus. What a privilege and responsibility it is to help them learn, grow and succeed.

Bernie Patterson is the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.